Historique

Social and cultural diversity in the Arab region is facing increasing threats due to various internal and external factors, be it socio-political, economic, environmental or geopolitical. The erosion of state structures in some Arab countries and structurally weak institutions that lack the mandate to enforce inclusive citizenship are among the driving forces behind identitarian (or identity-based) polarization and propaganda, and this has contributed to the rise of hate speech in many Arab countries. At the same time, freedom of speech and expression has been witnessing a setback in recent years, despite resistance from citizens who are becoming more vocal in voicing their demands given the expansion of the informal public space made possible by advancement in information and communication technology (ICT).
In the Arab region, mobile-cellular subscriptions have increased by around 40% between 2010 and 2018 and estimated to have reached a penetration rate of 103% by the end of 2018. The percentage of individuals (% of total population) using the internet in the Arab region is also expected to have more than doubled by the end of 2018, levelling at 54.7% up from 24% in 2010.1 Social media has also grown into a powerful tool of political and social interaction and opened the door for not only self-expression but also for collective expression of various groups. The total number of monthly active Twitter users in the Arab region is estimated to have reached 11.1 million in March 2017, up from 5.8 million in 2014, of which 29% are in Saudi Arabia and 18% in Egypt. Out of the 166 million internet users in 13 Arab countries, 66% (or 110 million) have opened Facebook accounts by December 2017.2
With the aim to capitalize on the potential of big data and AI technologies, the “Monitoring Hate Speech in the Arab Region” regional initiative is part of UNDP’s Digital Lighthouse Initiatives (DLI) and aims to explore the use of these under-utilized and promising technologies - without compromising impartiality, privacy rights, and methodological/conceptual soundness – to monitor and understand the rise of hate speech in a world that is being shaped by new developments in ICT and rapidly increasing mobile phone and internet penetration. Online platforms are viewed as having indirectly triggered the rise of violent content by offering a relatively inexpensive space to disseminate and build up a community of followers, and studies have argued that social media platforms tend to offer more visibility to negative. It has been argued that an open space of freedom of expression has indirectly led to the spread of hate speech and discriminatory language, especially against groups that are considered an easy target outside virtual space. In one way, the virtual space has mimicked the power relations that exist in the non-virtual world, giving power to specific groups to attach more marginalized groups, and this unbalanced power dynamics is being maintained by the de facto legal and institutional framework that does not treat all citizens equally in some Arab countries.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Under the supervision of the Project Manager and Technical Specialist and the Research Team Leader, the “Monitoring Hate Speech in the Arab Region” regional initiative is looking to recruit a Data Analyst and Coder in Social Sciences with advanced skills in creating codebooks for machine learning and leading the process of codebook optimization. The consultant should have a solid background in social sciences and experience in developing working and operational definitions to lead the process of coding tweets and training a group of research assistants on how to detect tweets that fit the working framework of hate speech. The consultant should have the capacity to analyze data after the large corpus of Tweets is labelled by the machine learning algorithms and excellent writing skills to draft final reports on findings.

Compétences

Functional Competencies:

• Corporate
• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Functional
• Excellent quantitative skills
• Good teamwork and interpersonal skills;
• Flexibility and ability to handle multiple tasks and work under pressure;
• Knowledge Management and Learning
• Ability to strongly promote and build knowledge products;
• Judgment/Decision-Making
• Mature judgment and initiative.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Academic Qualifications:

• MSc in in Social Sciences (Sociology, Political Science or Psychology) and strong computer skills (SPSS is a requirement).

Years of experience:

• Candidate should have a minimum of 6 years of relevant research experience.

Technical experience:

• Proven track record in conducting relevant research projects;
• Well-published in scientific and/or academic journals on relevant topics;
• Experience working with leading academic institutions and research centers;
• Experience working for the UN.

Competencies:

• Language proficiency in English and Arabic is requirement. French is a plus.

How to apply:
The consultancy is open for all international consultants who meet the selection criteria and propose a competitive fee. Interested consultants are requested to apply only through this UNDP jobs portal.
Submissions through any other media will not be considered.
The application must include all of the following documents:
1. P11,
2. Annex 3 (Offerors Letter) and
3. Financial proposal
All files shall be submitted in one single document and uploaded as word or PDF file to the UNDP job site.
It has been observed that bidders don’t submit all requested documents and thus reducing their chance to be selected for a contract with UNDP. before you submit your offer please revise that the application is complete and comprises all documents.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.